Event

This year’s Secret Cinema experience is The Empire Strikes Back, and I recently hopped a transport ship to get you this spoiler free review.

Let me start off by saying, if you haven’t been yet don’t worry, this review won’t spoil anything for you. I’m not going to talk about anything that would affect the surprise and sheer enjoyment you will get.

In 2007, Secret Cinema pioneered the form ‘Live Cinema’ by introducing site-specific, immersive cultural experiences. Breaking films – and recently music albums – into their constituent parts and marrying narratives with play-along action, Secret Cinema is a unique participatory social experience. Fuelled by a desire to fill the void left by an over-saturated technological world, it invites audiences to lose themselves in serendipitous, imaginary environments that challenge the way we perceive culture and social interaction. To date, over 300,000 people attended Secret Cinema’s events.

It all started a few weeks ago when I received some details about my character – my name, who I was, and some advice on what to wear and what to carry with me. This is all optional of course, but if you really want to get immersed then I highly recommend doing whatever you can to go “in character”. Secret Cinema have a shop where you can buy things before your visit, but for the most part it is very easy to wear something in line with your character and certainly carry things you might need (this will make sense to anyone who has already been, so trust me if you haven’t).

When we arrived at the specified location a few Friday’s ago we were quickly sent on our way, being warned that the Empire has eyes and ears everywhere. Once we got through “security” our journey really began. Again, I don’t want to give anything away here, but we really felt part of the story, even at the entrance.

Once we finally got to our first location we stayed there for a while enjoying the scenery, interacting with the locals (this is where some of those items may come in handy), having a drink and some food, and just generally enjoying ourselves. We even got to witness a few classic scenes being re-enacted in front of us. Before long though it was time to leave and move on to another location. Even changing locations felt like we were part of the story and not just moving from one area to another.

For the rest of the evening we stayed in that second location, again enjoying the atmosphere, scenery, food and drink, and in my case, getting thrown into a jail cell for trying to rescue a certain Princess – thankfully I was liberated though, and we all know things worked out fine for her as well.

When eventually the time comes to sit down to watch the film itself (several hours after arriving) you can’t help but feel you are a part of the Star Wars universe.

You can easily see that a lot of time, effort and money has gone into reproducing locations, sets, props and costumes, with lots of people in character at all times either guiding you, helping you, or trying to stop you. And it doesn’t matter if you are in costume yourself or not, you will still have an amazing time.

I highly recommend going if you can, this is the experience you are looking for, now move along.

Gfinity, the UK’s leading eSports and online gaming company is pleased to announce their third tournament, G3, will take place on 2nd and 3rd August, in one of the UK’s most prestigious sporting venues, The Copper Box- the venue of the London Olympics.

Originally scheduled to take place in May, Gfinity pushed the tournament back to the post exam period for their dedicated community. Gfinity will open its doors to allow 8,000 eSports fans to witness firsthand the high standard of professional gaming across five of the best gaming titles. Tickets are being sold by Ticketweb and are selling fast: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/artist/gfinity-tickets/941627

Leading teams and players from around the world will battle it out for a share of the prize pots on offer. Ali-A will co-present the Call of Duty: Ghosts tournament while KSI presents the FIFA tournament.

In 2013 Gfinity orchestrated two of the UK’s most prominent Call of Duty eSports tournaments. G3 looks to be even greater, from the money on offer, with professional teams from across the globe competing for prize pots of up to $55,000, the world class sporting arena, which was the first Olympic venue to open its doors on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, through to the number of titles available for spectators to watch.

Paul Kent, Chief Operations Officer from Gfinity said: “We have always prided ourselves on creating professional sports tournaments to help grow the eSports following and understanding in the UK. We are delighted that we were able to move the tournament to suit our dedicated community and still hold G3 in an Olympic venue.”

Motorola has announced its new Moto E, so all the leaks from the past was all correct. The device said by Motorola is affordable handset that’s also tough.

The Motorola also said that the Moto E is water-resistant, scratch-resistant, with a all day battery and will get the latest Android updates when they’re released. All that and it’s affordable enough for everyone.

There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz dual-core chipset under the hood and 1GB of RAM, with ppi of 256.

There’s only 4GB of storage internally, although there is a microSD card slot of expansion of up to 32GB.

It launches with Android 4.4 KitKat, as seen in the Moto G, The 1980mAh battery is enough to offer all day use claims Motorola.

The Moto E is 124.8 x 64.8 x 12.3mm and weighs in at 140g. It comes with 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS with GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB, FM radio and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Moto E will be available in black, lemon and turquoise among other colours as you can change the black of the smartphones like you can with the Moto G. The Moto E will hit the shelves this week in nine different colours.

With thousands of gamers queued late into the night across the UK to celebrate the release of,“Titanfall”. Which is exclusive to Xbox, the game is expected to break Xbox One sales records and be one of the best-selling titles this year.

To celebrate the launch, free runners dressed as Pilot characters from the game performed stunts for London commuters along Millennium Bridge and the South Bank, emulating the abilities of players in the game.

Jonathan Ross at the TitanFall event

On Thursday evening The Boiler House at the Old Truman Brewery was transformed into a scene from the game.

Fans and celebrity attendees including Jonathan Ross, The Voice UK judge Ricky Wilson and Professor Green, played the first truly next generation multiplayer game as parkour free-runners staged a series of breath-taking stunts including wall running across the venue.

Xbox UK Marketing Director, Harvey Eagle said: “Titanfall is the most anticipated game of the year. It’s already won more than 80 awards from critics around the world. Millions of gamers around the world played the Xbox One Titanfall beta and hundreds of thousands have been playing since Tuesday when it launched in the US. Xbox One is the best place to play Titanfall and there has never been a better time to join the new console generation”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year.

The ceremony was hosted by Dara O Briain at Tobacco Dock, London E1, where presenters included Rob Beckett, Alex Brooker, Shaun Dooley, Hideo Kojima, Ian Livingstone, Steven Moffat, Chris Ramsay, Carol Vorderman and Wretch 32.
The Last of Us, the post-apocalyptic story of love and loss among the last survivors of humanity, took home five BAFTA awards: Action & Adventure, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Story, and Performer was presented to Ashley Johnson for her role as Ellie.

Grand Theft Auto V, one of the biggest and most technically accomplished games of the year, won in the British Game, Game Design and Multiplayer categories.

Papercraft platformer Tearaway scooped awards for Artistic Achievement, Family and Mobile & Handheld. Rex Crowle, who last year was selected as a BAFTA ‘Breakthrough Brit’ for his exceptionally promising talent, collected his first BAFTA for his work on Tearaway.

Gone Home, a game of exploration in which players piece together a mysterious family story, was awarded the BAFTA for Debut Game.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the story-driven adventure game following two brothers on an epic fairytale journey, won the BAFTA for Game Innovation. The game features the unusual control system that allows one player to simultaneously control both brothers.

The BAFTA for Music was awarded to first-person shooter Bioshock Infinite, which features a selection of iconic modern musical tracks reimagined as if they were made in 1912.

FIFA 14 collected the BAFTA for Sport, the fourth time the franchise has won an award.

Papers, Please, described by creator Lucas Pope as a “dystopian document thriller”, where players take the role of an immigration officer at a border checkpoint picked up the BAFTA for Strategy and Simulation.

Showcasing the best in young games development and design talent, Size DOES Matter – created by a team of student developers in Norway – won the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital.

The Fellowship was presented to Rockstar Games for its outstanding and exceptional creative contribution to the games industry. Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut attended the ceremony to accept the Award on behalf of the company.

The Awards’ highlights programme will be broadcast on Challenge (Sky: Ch 125, Freeview: Ch 46, Virgin: Ch 139) on Friday 21 March at 10pm.
Earlier today BAFTA successfully launched its inaugural ‘Inside Games’, an event attended by the public showcasing upcoming games from the world’s biggest studios and featuring developer talks and an ‘Indie Games Arcade’.

A total of 43 games have been recognised across 17 categories, showcasing the very best games of the past 12 months and highlighting an outstanding level of creative excellence from a broad range of UK and international development teams.

The Last of Us leads the way with ten nominations across Action & Adventure, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Game Design, Multiplayer, Music, Story, anda double-nomination in Performer. Grand Theft Auto V receives a nomination in each of the following nine categories: Action & Adventure, Audio Achievement, Best Game, British Game, Game Design, Game Innovation, Multiplayer, Performer and Story.

Tearaway is nominated for eight BAFTAs: Artistic Achievement, Best Game, British Game, Family, Game Design, Game Innovation, Mobile & Handheld and Music.

Five games receive four nominations apiece. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagis nominated for Action & Adventure, Best Game, Game Design and Music. BioShock Infinite is nominated for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Music and Performer.Super Mario 3D Worldis recognised in Best Game, Family, Multiplayer and Music. The Stanley Parable picks up nominations in Debut Game, Game Innovation, Performer and Story. Papers, Pleaseis nominated in Best Game, Game Design, Game Innovation and Strategy & Simulation.

Nominated in the Performer category are Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Troy Baker (Joel) in The Last of Us, Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth) in BioShock Infinite, Ellen Page (Jodie) in Beyond: Two Souls, Kevan Brighting (The Narrator) in The Stanley Parable and Steven Ogg (Trevor Phillips) in Grand Theft Auto V.

Showcasing the very best in young games development and design talent, the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital finalists areProject Heera: Diamond Heist, Size DOES Matter and The Unknown.

The British Academy Games Awards take place tonight at the Tobacco Dock, London, and will be hosted for the sixth consecutive year by comedian and gamer Dara O Briain.

Tickets are now on sale for EGX Rezzed 2014! Next year’s event will take place between the 28th & 30th March at The NEC, Birmingham.

For those of you who haven’t experienced EGX Rezzed before, it’s an event brought to you by the team behind EGX London, formerly Eurogamer Expo. EGX Rezzed will boast many of the features that visitors to EGX London will recognise, with hundreds of next gen consoles and PCs packed onto our huge show floor. It’s a great opportunity for you, the gamers, to get hands-on with the hottest titles before they hit the shops.

In addition to playable games we’re planning a host of features including the return of the developer sessions which will see famous game designers presenting their latest projects directly to you in our dedicated auditorium. Meanwhile, the Leftfield Collection will showcase the latest and greatest from the world of indie games.

Plus, we’ll have an extensive board games area complete with demonstrators to give you a guiding hand, a Minecraft hunger games tournament stage and stands selling all manner of gaming merchandise including t-shirts, figurines, posters and more.

Tickets are available now and if you book before January you can take advantage of our 20% early bird discount. Day tickets are currently £9.60 while those of you looking to get the most for your money can pick up a three day pass for £21.60. Saturday and Sunday early entry tickets are £12.80, with afternoon tickets coming in at £7.20 each. Group discounts are also available, head over to our website for all the details.

Information on the playable games, the developer sessions and the rest of the EGX Rezzed features will be revealed over the course of the next few months. In the meantime why not head to our website where you’ll be able to check out highlights from 2013.

With the launch of Call of Duty: Ghosts is almost upon us, and to celebrate one of this year’s releases, Activision will be hosting a star studded launch event at the IndigO2 in London on Monday, 4th November.

Daniel Sturridge, Rizzle Kicks, Wretch 32, Andros Townsend, Jamal Edwards and Martyn Littlewood will be offering you the unique chance to become part of their team, as they each lead a squad of six players in a multi-player tournament, battling it out for Call of Duty: Ghosts glory and ultimate bragging rights on the night.

For the chance to win an opportunity to be part of this exclusive experience, and to join one of the squad leaders on the night, you’ll need to tell them why you deserve to be a part of their squad above anyone else.

To register, sign in to your Twitter account and post a message that includes #callofdutytime and the unique hashtag for the squad leader, whose team you want to be on, along with your message to them explaining why they should choose you.

Fans will also be able to visit www.callofdutytime.com where a selection of short films by the squad leaders will provide all the details on how you can get involved and become part of the Call of Duty: Ghosts launch event.

So, what are you waiting for… the more you tweet and get behind your favourite squad leader, the more chance you’ll have of winning.

Don’t worry though, if you’re not recruited to be a member of one of the squads, you can still have the chance to win tickets to the event by visiting www.callofdutytime.com or watch the tournament via the live-stream at www.youtube.com/callofduty.

SQUAD LEADERS:

Wretch 32

Jermaine Scott aka Wretch 32 is the new don of UK hip hop. Signed to Ministry Of Sound/Levels Recordings and with three consecutive top five hits and ‘Black and White’, a certified Gold album under his belt, it is safe to say that Wretch 32 has consolidated his name in the mainstream.

To apply for Wretch 32’s Team tweet #GhostsWretch32 and #CallofDutyTime

Daniel Sturridge

Daniel is the fastest player in LFC history to score 20 goals for the club. He recorded the highest goal per game ratio in the Premier League for the 2012 — 2013 season and is the youngest player to win Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

To apply for Daniel’s team tweet #GhostsSturridge and #CallofDutyTime

Rizzle Kicks

Once in a generation, a band emerges who are doing something musically, visually and culturally that no-one else is doing…and doing it really well. For the Millennium Generation, it’s Rizzle Kicks. Two years on from their 600,000 selling debut Stereo Typical, their new album, Roaring 20s, is a generational milestone.

To apply for Rizzle Kicks’ team tweet #GhostsRK and #CallofDutyTime

Jamal Edwards

At the age of 15, Jamal Edwards founded SB.TV which he still runs as CEO. With over 180 million YouTube subscribers, SB.TV has featured interviews with a varied list of guests from politicians such as David Cameron and Ed Milliband to globally recognized artists such as Nicki Minaj and Jessie J as well as urban stars like Giggs & Drake.

To apply for Jamal’s team tweet #GhostsJamal and #CallofDutyTime

Andros Townsend

London born Andros plays for his home town club Spurs, and has been delighting fans and pundits alike with electric performances for club and country, including a goal scoring debut for England at Wembley helping them qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

To apply for Andros’ team tweet #GhostsTownsend and #CallofDutyTime

Martyn Littlewood

Martyn is a YouTube content creator for The Yogscast and award winning radio presenter. His content focuses on a variety of gaming genres and he creates video blogs of his experiences at gaming conventions, studios, anime gatherings and other events.

To apply for Martyn’s team tweet #GhostsYogs and #CallofDutyTime

For more information about the launch event, squad leader profiles, short films and the chance to win exclusive tickets please visit http://callofdutytime.com

It’s official, new iPads are finally on the way as Apple just send out invites to a special event to be held on 22nd October.

Will the fifth generation iPad with faster internals (including the 64-bit A7 chip from the 5s) and a slimmer design at next weeks event. The second-gen iPad mini is also rumoured to come with faster specs and a more lightweight exterior, but will it have a Retina display.

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson and AceyBongos Command 32-person Squads in a Head-to-Head Battle of Battlefield 4 Second Assault – Its Worldwide Debut on Xbox One.

Join us in the global, live streamed event, Battlefield 4 : Showdown Live Europe vs. USA on November 1 at 17.00 GMT, where two teams of 32-players will compete in an event in London. The Showdown will mark the debut of Battlefield 4 Second Assault, an expansion pack available at launch first on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. Battlefield 4 Second Assault includes four fan-favourite Battlefield 3 maps re-imagined with the power of the new Frostbite 3 engine. Top-tier Battlefield players will be hand selected to represent their country as they battle it out on Xbox One.

Battlefield 4 will be available 1st November for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 console and PC. Battlefield 4 will be in stores 22nd November on Xbox One and 29th November 29 on PlayStation 4.

Battlefield 4 Second Assault is one of five expansion packs included in Battlefield 4 Premium, an exclusive membership for fans that provides a wealth of new content to keep the action going all year long for only £39.99. Battlefield 4 Second Assault will be available first on Xbox One

F1 2013 roars into HMV Oxford Street 4th October Take on your friends in the pit-lane with the F1 2013 pit-stop challenge

This Friday 4 October sees the release of F1 2013, the definitive FORMULA 1 videogame for this generation of consoles, with a event at HMV’s Oxford Street store from 11am where there will be an actual FORMULA 1 car inside the store.

Address is HMV, 150 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1DJ

During the event, you can take on your friends on some of the most iconic tracks from FORMULA 1 history including Imola and Estoril. When you’re not setting fastest laps, you’ll be able to try your hand at changing a race tyre in our custom pit-lane inside the store itself. We’ll be shouting about your successes
throughout the day, and if you’re lucky enough to be the fastest in the pit-lane, there’s some great prizes to give away on the day, including a brand spanking new PlayStation 3 for the fastest time.

We’ll also be showing off the greats of FORMULA ONE, only available in F1 2013: CLASSIC EDITION, such as Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi, Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

F1 2013 is the pinnacle of FORMULA 1 videogames, capturing the excitement and the action of one of the world’s most watched sports. With its release on 4th
October, this is your chance to step into the cockpit and take on the world’s best. F1 2013 includes all the official content from the 2013 season, including the 2013 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, an expanded Young Driver test, a new scenario mode, and the return of Grand Prix mode.

Take a picture in store and Tweet #F12013 #HMVlaunch as we will be handing out
some cool prizes for the best pictures in store.

Nintendo is supporting indie developers like never before at Eurogamer Expo 2013 with a special zone showcasing some of the best indie talent to grace Nintendo’s current consoles.

The developers of indie games Q.U.B.E: Director’s Cut, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, Tengami, Coaster Crazy Deluxe, Knytt Underground, Putty Squad and Steam World Dig will attend Eurogamer Expo alongside Nintendo. There will also be nine brand new games available to play including the first playable Wii U demo of Tengami. Indie games available on stand include:

Wii U

Q.U.B.E: Director’s Cut

Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails

Tengami

Knytt Underground

Coaster Crazy Deluxe

Nintendo 3DS

SteamWorld Dig

Shantae & the Pirate’s Curse

Retro City Rampage

Putty Squad

There will also be the chance to get hands on with highly anticipated first-party Nintendo games, take part in Nintendo 3DS tournaments in the NintendoLife StreetPass Zone, pose for photos with Mario, Luigi, Sonic, Pikachu and Link as well as grab special giveaways and win prizes when the games show opens on 26th September.

Nintendo will be at Eurogamer Expo in Earls Court, London from 26th-29th September 2013.

Will we see the Nokia Lumia 1520, the first 1080p Windows Phone to enter into 6-inch domain. This device is believed to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC and a 20-megapixel PureView camera. With Windows Phone 8.1 (Project Blue) will also see an update to support the new 1080p resolution, this will add a third row of columns and giving owners even more space for their various tiles on the homescreen

Rumour has it that Abu Dhabi will be where the event will be this time, only time will tell.